This invention relates to artificial reefs in which human cremain is incorporated as a memorial to the deceased.
Memorialization of deceased human beings is a significant part of our cultural heritage. Burial of intact human remains in the ground or in a vault accompanied by a stone monument or bronze inscription panel has generally been considered the most frequently used method of interment and memorialization. Recently, cremation of deceased human remains has become an acceptable method of final disposition which has steadily increased in popularity because of the increasing cost of conventional funerals, limitations on cemetery space in urban areas and changes in cultural attitudes towards cremation.
Typically, cremated remains (cremain) are memorialized by interment in a decorative container which is kept in a private residence or a columbarium. Alternatively, the cremain may be ceremonially scattered in a preferred location such as a garden or a body of water. The most frequent choice for such scattering is a large body of water such as an ocean. The limited benefit of such disposal of cremain is the memory of a satisfactory ceremony and the minute addition of certain minerals to the body of the water. This benefit is greatly diminished if the ceremony is disrupted by inclement weather, rough seas or excessive wind. Moreover, there is no permanent object containing the cremain which can be recognized as a memorial to the deceased.
The perpetuation of cremain in various objects is known in the art. For example, the Vanderlaan Patent No. 1,640,680 discloses a method of perpetuating human remains in the form of ceramic tiles made with cremain and formed into plaques or other objects which are then incorporated into specific objects to which the deceased devoted his life, for example bridges, tunnels, dams and the like, or in a house of worship or in a specific outdoor location frequented by the deceased person. The patent to Botsch, No. 5,016,320, discloses the incorporation of cremain into a molded object representing or resembling the deceased, particularly a deceased animal, or something for which a deceased person was particularly noted, such as a replica of the deceased's house, automobile, or the like.
The patent to Brock, No, 5,127,112, discloses a water-tight capsule for underwater burial in which human remains are preserved, whereas the Vigh Patent No. 3,732,602, discloses a submersible crematory urn constructed of degradable material so as to dissolve in the water.
Artificial reefs for the preservation of marine ecosystems are known. For example, the patents to Rambo No. 4,840,516, Shen 5,122,015 and Warren et al. No. 5,803,660, disclose reef structures made of interlocking modules and the Rauch Patent No. 5,246,307 discloses a module to be used in submerged breakwater and a barrier reef module. None of the prior art, however, discloses or provides any way of maintaining a memorial to a deceased person who had a special interest in the marine ecosystem and the preservation thereof.